Modular unit, method and device for inserting same

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a modular unit consisting of two building components having joint surfaces arranged in pairs to be fastened with rivets. In order to ensure perfect meeting of the pairs of joint surfaces, there is a pair of bearing surfaces designed in such a way that, upon exerting a supporting force thereon, a force component is generated through the assembling joints.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a modular unit with two components, a methodfor joining said components and an assembly device for said purpose.

2. Description of Prior Art

A prior art modular unit as shown, for example, in EP 0 405 889 A2hastwo wall panels of a railway freight car body which have joint surfaceswhich correspond to one another in pairs. For connection of the jointsurfaces which fit together on the two components, there is a separateconnecting element which is inserted between the components and hasconnection brackets which are adapted to the surfaces to be connected.The joint surfaces which correspond to one another thereby each lie in acommon flat or curved plane, and are located at some distance from oneanother, which distance is then bridged by the connecting piece. The useof a separate connecting piece entails a corresponding effort andexpense, whereby, on the connecting piece two independent jointconnections are required for each pair of joint surfaces to beconnected. The connecting piece is therefore defined so that it has across section in the shape of an H and is engaged with the free ends ofits legs between parallel wall segments of the wall panels. The distancebetween the legs, which are to be inserted into a panel, must thereforebe exactly adapted to the distance between the outside walls of thepanel, which entails additional effort and expense. In addition, whengaps do occur between the joint surfaces, external clamping means mustbe used to bring the outer walls of the panel closer to the jointbrackets on the connecting piece.

The object of the invention is to create a modular unit which hasintegrated joining accessories and can be assembled in a simple manner,and in which an assembly device which has a simple construction can beused to make the connection.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention teaches that this object can be achieved by the featuresof the invention.

In one configuration of a modular unit, one component is engaged with amolded extension which is provided for joining purposes with at leastone joint surface in a mating receptacle on the second component. Themating receptacle thereby has a joint surface which is flat and parallelto the joint surface of the extension inserted into it and, as a rule,initially faces it with some distance between them.

Corresponding to the joint surfaces, on the respective components, thereare bearing surfaces which face one another when the components areinserted one into the other. The bearing surface on the component to beinserted is thereby on a wall of the component facing away from thecorresponding joint surface, while the joint surface of the componentprovided with the mating receptacle is defined in the form of acomponent wall which faces the corresponding joint surface. The distancebetween the joint surface and the bearing surface on the component withthe mating receptacle is greater than the distance between the jointsurface and the bearing surface of the component which is provided withthe extension. This distance varies, depending on the manufacturingtolerances of the components, between 1/2mm and several millimeters. Acomponent constructed in this manner makes it possible to insert apressure element between the bearing surfaces which causes a relativedisplacement of the components such that any gap which exists betweenthe joint surfaces which are to be brought into contact with one anotheris eliminated altogether, or at least so that mechanical joint elements,e.g. BOM blind rivets, can be used for clamping purposes in the vicinityof the joint surfaces. The bearing force to be introduced between thebearing surfaces accordingly has a force component which is directedperpendicular to the joint surface. Such blind rivets can only be usedif there are relatively narrow joint gaps of less than 1-2 mm betweenthe joint surfaces. These blind rivets have the advantage, however, thatthey can be inserted blind, i.e. from one side. An additional advantageis that the assembly process can be performed quickly and easily,achieving high mechanical tensile and shear strength under static anddynamic loads on the joint, as well as an improved vibration strength.The joint seam is also at least largely gas and moisture-tight, once aconstant clamping force has been achieved. This effect is enhanced bythe fact that the direction of the force of the joint element isperpendicular to the joint surfaces, to press the latter together. Ifthere is an offset between the direction of force and the axis of therivet, the torque which results is absorbed by the use of the joiningelement on both sides on the component to generate torques in oppositedirections.

To bring the joint surfaces of the two components into close contactwith one another, this structure requires the introduction between thefacing bearing surfaces of the two components of a bearing force whichis exerted toward the joint surface. This bearing force is increased tosuch a level that the joint surfaces are nonpositively connected to oneanother or on longer components, in addition to the points where thejoining surfaces are in direct contact, the distance between the jointsurfaces is reduced to a very small dimension of less than 1 mm. Then,these joint surfaces or the immediately adjacent clamping brackets etc.are drilled through and are clamped together with connecting elements,in particular with BOM blind rivets.

As the assembly device for components configured in this manner, togenerate the bearing force, it is possible to introduce a pneumaticallyor hydraulically expandable expansion body, preferably a hose in aloose, flexible condition which is then filled with a fluid underpressure, and as a result of its radial expansion brings the jointsurfaces into at least partial contact. To achieve a stable finalposition of the hose, at least one of the bearing surfaces has a concavedepression, so that the components cannot move at right angles to theirdisplacement force which is directed toward the joint surfaces.

The invention is explained in greater detail below with reference to theexemplary embodiments which are illustrated schematically in theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a modular unit which consists of two components standing atan angle in relation to one another; and

FIG. 2 shows a modular unit which consists of two components interactingin a curved segment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Two components 1, 2 which are preferably defined in the form of wallmodules made of extruded profiles for freight car bodies of railwayvehicles, are partly engaged with one another and are provided withjoint surfaces 3 and 4 which correspond to one another to achieve aclose-fitting connection. On the first component 1 there is an extension5 which can be engaged in a mating receptacle 6 on the other component2. The mating receptacle 6 is thereby defined with a cross-section inthe shape of a horizontal U, whereby the corresponding joint surface 3is provided on an angular web 7, and is at least substantiallyperpendicular to the plane of the corresponding component 2, although inthe concrete case the inclination is an angle of approximately 8degrees. Correspondingly, the joint surface 4 on the extension 5 of thefirst component, when it is inserted into the mating receptacle 6 andlies in a parallel plane, and thus, before the panels are clampedtogether is generally at some distance from the joint surface 3 andparallel to it, as indicted by the broken line. To bring the jointsurfaces into the at least largely gap-free mutual contact illustratedin solid lines, there are bearing surfaces 8 and 9 on the extension 5and on the mating receptacle 6, respectively. These bearing surfaces 8,9 face one another. The bearing surface 8 of the first component 1 isthereby provided on a component wall 10 of the extension 5 and isoriented so that it is in contact with the side of this component wall10 which faces away from the corresponding joint surface 4. On the otherhand, the bearing surface 9 of the mating receptacle 6 is on an angularweb 11 which runs essentially parallel to the first angular web 7 or tothe corresponding bearing surface 8, on the side facing the jointsurface 3. The bearing surfaces 8, 9 are defined in the form of concavedepressions, such that they form segments of a circle with a commoncenter.

To completely eliminate the initial gap between the joint surfaces 3 and4.1, an expansion body in the form of a hose 12 is introduced betweenthe bearing surfaces 8, 9. The hose 12 is filled with compressed air,oil or a corresponding fluid at a pressure such that the components 1, 2are adjusted relative to one another until the joint surfaces 3, 4 arebrought close to one another in the position illustrated in solid lines.While maintaining the pressure in the hose 12, a boring indicated by acenter line 13 can then be made through the angular web and thecomponent wall 14 provided with the joint surface 4, and then thesurfaces can be clamped together with a BOM blind rivet. The bearingsurfaces 8, 9 are thereby oriented in relation to the joint surfaces 3,4 so that a force component generated by the expansion body runs throughthe joint surfaces 3, 4, and the bearing surfaces 8, 9 are oriented withrespect to one another so that at least a common normal line runsthrough the joint surfaces 3, 4. This force component is illustrated bythe broken line 13a which, in the exemplary embodiment illustrated inFIG. 1, is at least approximately aligned with the center line 13.Following the insertion of the rivet, the hose 12 can be decompressedand removed from the gap between the bearing surfaces 8, 9 if necessary,or it can be left in place to act as a seal. Following this joiningprocess, an additional connection between the components 1 and 2 can bemade by drilling through the neighboring clamping rackets 15, 16provided both on the extension 5 and on the mating receptacle 6 in thevicinity of the bearing surfaces 8, 9, along a center line 17, andpermanently connecting them together by connecting means that includes,for example, locking rivets with collars which allow rather large gapwidths between the surfaces to be joined.

To bring the pair of joint surfaces 3, 4 of the components 1, 2 into thedesired contact with as little space as possible remaining between them,instead of a hose 12, another pressure body can be used, e.g. amechanically expandable mandrel or an eccentric rod.

In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the components 1 and2 form a side wall and the roof wall of a freight car body for a railwayvehicle, whereby the position of the connection claimed by the inventionis located in the curved transition between the two components 1 and 2which are defined in the form of extruded profiles. The outer profileweb walls thereby represent the outer contour of the freight car body,and the transition between the two segments is continuous, and islocated in a correspondingly curved plane in the vicinity of theconnection. On an inner wall 2.1 of the component 2 which is defined inthe form of the roof module, there is an at least approximately verticalangular web 7 which, on its side facing away from the inside of the car,has a joint surface 3. The outer wall of the component 2 projects beyonda bearing web 18 which connects the outer wall 2 and the inner wall 2.1,and beyond toward the outer wall of the component 1 and, on its insidefacing the angular web 7 has a concavely curved bearing surface 9.Between this component wall 11 and the angular web 7, a matingreceptacle 6 is formed in which the corresponding extension 5 of thecomponent 1 defined in the form of a side wall module is inserted. Acomponent web 14 which runs at some distance from the outer wall of thecomponent 1, which web 14 is connected to an inner wall 1.1 of thecomponent 1, is equipped with the corresponding joint surface 4 which inthe final assembled position illustrated is in flush contact with thecorresponding joint surface 3 of the roof module component 2. To make itpossible to exert the force required for the at least approximatelyclearance-free contact between the joint surfaces 3, 4 between the twocomponents 1, 2, on the component 1 there is a component wall 10 whichis in turn inserted into the corresponding mating receptacle 6. Thecomponent wall 10 is molded onto a bearing web 10.1 which, on the upperend, connects the outer wall of the component 1 with the component web14 which has the corresponding joint surface 4. The component wall 10with the bearing surface 8 faces the component wall 11 with the bearingsurface 9, and has a symmetrical concave curvature so that an expansionbody, in particular a hose, can also be inserted, the cavity 12 of whichcan be filled with a pressurized support medium to achieve the necessarysupport force to press the joint surfaces 3, 4 closely together. Aboring can then be bored along the center line 13 through the components7, 14, and then the webs 7, 14 which are in contact with one anotherunder pressure can be riveted together with the at least approximatelycomplete elimination of any gap between them. Then the expansion bodybetween the bearing surfaces 8, 9 can be depressurized and removed, ifnecessary, when, if a hose is used, it is not intended to be leftbetween the bearing surfaces 8, 9 as a seal.

What is claimed is:
 1. A modular unit for car bodies for railwayvehicles, comprising:a first component and a second component in partialengagement with one another, the first component and the secondcomponent each including a joint surface adapted to cooperate with thejoint surface of the other component, and the first component and thesecond component each including a bearing surface, the first componentand the second component each further including a clamping bracket; andexpansion body positioned between the bearing surface of the firstcomponent and the bearing surface of the second component, wherein thebearing surface of the first component is arranged substantiallyparallel to and opposing the bearing surface of the second component sothat at least one common normal line runs through the joint surfaces andthe bearing surfaces, wherein the distance between the joint surface andthe bearing surface of the first component is at least 0.5 millimetersless than the distance between the joint surface and the bearing surfaceof the second component, wherein the clamping bracket of the firstcomponent is connected to the clamping bracket of the second componentby fasteners, and wherein the joint surfaces are connected to each otherby fasteners.
 2. The modular unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein thedifference between the distances is at least 3 mm.
 3. The modular unitas claimed in claim 2, wherein at least one bearing surface is definedin the form of a concave depression.
 4. The modular unit as claimed inclaim 1, wherein at least one bearing surface is defined in the form ofa concave depression.
 5. The modular unit as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe first component has an extension which is engaged in a matingreceptacle on the second component, the extension has the bearingsurface of the first component located on a side of a first componentwall which faces away from the joint surface of the first component, andthe mating receptacle has the bearing surface of the second componentlocated on a side of a second component wall which faces the jointsurface of the second component.
 6. The modular unit as claimed in claim1 wherein the joint surfaces are substantially planar and free ofinterlocking components.
 7. A method for joining a modular unit forconnecting large modules on car bodies for railway vehicles, comprisingthe steps of:providing at least two components, wherein the twocomponents include a first component and a second component, the firstcomponent and the second component each including a joint surfaceadapted to cooperate with the joint surface of the other component, andthe first component and the second component each including a bearingsurface; wherein the bearing surfaces and the joining surfaces arealigned perpendicular to a common normal line; engaging the jointsurface of the first component with the joint surface of the secondcomponent so that the bearing surface of the first component faces thebearing surface of the second component and the bearing surfaces of thefirst and second components are distant from the joint surfaces of thefirst and second components; applying a bearing force between thebearing surfaces directed toward the joint surfaces of the firstcomponent and the second component until the joint surfaces aresubstantially in engagement; drilling through the joint surfaces;clamping the joint surfaces together with fasteners; and withdrawing thebearing force between the bearing surfaces.
 8. An assembly device for amodular unit for connecting large modules on car bodies for railwayvehicles, comprising:a first component and a second component which arein partial engagement with one another with some clearance therebetween,the components each have a pair of joint surfaces which are orientedsubstantially parallel to one another, and the components each have abearing surface which opposes the bearing surface of the othercomponent, wherein the bearing surfaces are adapted to interact with thejoint surfaces and face away from the joint surfaces, and wherein anormal line runs through the bearing surfaces and the joining surfaces;and an expansion body inserted between the bearing surfaces, whereinwhen the expansion body is radially expanded, the joint surfaces areplaced in engagement and connected to each other by fasteners, whereinthe joint surfaces are substantially planar and free of interlockingcomponents.
 9. The assembly device as claimed in claim 8, wherein theexpansion body is an elastically expandable hose.